BBQs: Unless you start at noon and end promptly at 5 p.m., you're gonna have to drink enough to make it feel like you're wearing the jacket you chose not to bring because it's "summer." more ›

Do you get the summertime blues? We sure do. And word is there ain't no cure for them. Which is why tomato season is one of the few things we look forward to during these warm summer months. (And the evening fog. We do enjoy our nightly blanket of cooling fog.) Local James Beard Award-winning chef and celebrity Joanne Weir just revealed her top 10 tomato recipes for the upcoming barrage of glorious tomatoes heading our way. They are: more ›

Nick Fisher snapped this excellent shot of two pooches in heat. more ›

Even those of us who enjoy the crisp, electric chill that our glacial summer weather provides (hi!), we've had it with fog, scarfs and sweaters in August. Thankfully, according to Weather Underground, we'll see a bit of a heatwave this week. San Francisco will see temperatures hitting the 80s this week, so, if you haven't already, you should perfect your sick voice and play hooky tomorrow. more ›

You know what time it is? It's the height of tomato season. Or, for some, it's approaching the height of tomato season -- depending on your area and climate. Anyway, with that we'd like to share with you a perfect sauce to use for this glorious time of year, local chef Joanne Weir's aptly-titled Peak Season Tomato Sauce. It's very simply and delicious, period; and doesn't involve superfluous paste, bay leaves, carrots, celery or other filler. It's all tomato taste. Also, while it calls for you to use (preferably organic) tomatoes at their peak, good canned tomatoes (like San Marzano, but be wary, or Bella Terra) will do in a pinch. more ›

Time to trim that bramble you call public hair (protip: careful grooming makes your shaft look bigger, fellas) and pull out the SPF 50. San Francisco Bay Guardian's 36th annual guide to Bay Area nude beaches hits the racks today. In addition to informing you on nakedness and anti-nude law enforcement at Bay Area beaches, the issue is brimming with stark raving nudity. (The print version has more fleshy bits than online, by the way.) Check it. more ›

In an effort to save money, the city of Berkeley closed a popular pool on the south side of town, which costs between $80,000 and $150,000 to keep open for the summer. Residents are livid. Why? Well, according to CBS 5, the city also "spends about $231,000 annually subsidizing the cost of YMCA memberships for employees." Oh, Berkeley. [CBS 5] more ›

Looking for fun things to do with Dad on Father's Day? Frisco Kids has some great ideas. Be sure to check out their list of good hiking spots, too. more ›

SF Examiner has a very important report on what your San Francisco supervisors did during their three weeks off. A few of them did some pretty gay stuff; and one of them did what your SFist editor did during his summer vacations as a youth, literally. more ›

It's not your imagination, friends. That impenetrable marine layer and frustrating fog have, in fact, been a little worse than average according to Examiner.com today: "San Francisco's average high temperature for June, July and August was 67.0 degrees, almost a degree and a half below the 30-year normal of 68.4 degrees. Over the course of the three-month (92 day) summer period the daily temperature was only above normal on 21 occasions." So, that means we've had three weeks worth of warm days scattered throughout, but still we're coming up short. Like some experts have said, global warming is going to turn SF into Seattle. San Jose had it worse, with average temperatures over three degrees below normal. Let's hope this trend reverses itself for Indian Summer! Sweating never felt so good as it did this weekend! more ›

The official barbecue grilling season starts tomorrow. Happy summer, folks. more ›

(By Babe Scanlon) more ›

• "Static and squat," declares John King on the new residential tower, Soma Grand. And it only gets worse, beautifully so. [SFGate]
• Have a sumptuous yet refreshing woodchuck, raccoon, or squirrel recipe? Send it to Endless Summer and you could win a "guest blogging post." [Endless Simmer]
• Fashion on the 5-Fulton dazzles. [Nature abhors a vacuum]

Each Tuesday we will feature new music that should (or whatever) be on your radar. more ›

-- The Shining (1980): "Honey, I'm home," "Here's Johnny!" etcetera, etcetera, Kubrick, and so forth. (No one wields a baseball bat like Shelley Duvall. So awkward. Also, what ever happened to her?) Screens at midnight (okay, 11:55 p.m.) at the Clay. more ›

(If it's "Breaking News" on SFGate, it's good enough for us!) more ›

Each Tuesday we will feature new music that should (or whatever) be on your radar. Standouts: 1. Dashboard Confessional - The Shade of Poison Trees: Acoustic is back. Chris Carrabba returns to his "roots" with the new release of The Shade of Poison Trees. Basically if you are a long-time Dashboard Confessional fan, then you already know all about this album and probably have already pre-ordered it. As a newer fan of Dashboard Confessional we... more ›

Something big and red, there you might meet. more ›

Seeing as how the Summer of Love was the single most important event in the history of time and space, we thought it would be delightful of us to review a smattering of Summer of Love anniversary reviews for you. In no particular order, discover the music, elderly genitalia, and abundance of ATMs you missed. more ›

Photos of the 40th annivesary of the summer of love more ›

Some local PBS affiliate stations will be re-airing two San Francisco-centric episodes of "American Experience" this weekend. more ›

-- Scott McCloud: Experimental and wildly popular comic artist and novelist (Making Comics) speaks tonight at "Evolution of the American Comic Book". Rory Root (owner, Comic Relief) and Andrew Farago (curator, Cartoon Art Museum) also speak. Starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Commonwealth Club, 595 Market; $7-$20. more ›

Hey Giants fans, hate the Dodgers? Like, really, really, really hate the Dodgers? Wanna have some snarky yet juvenile fun at their expense? Hell, what else can you do considering they're in first place (or, well, were) and have won eleven straight at the Phonebooth. Do we have a contest for you! more ›

-- Marcus Shelby Trio and Faye Carol (and those nails!): Popular, local jazz and blues greats perform two sets together at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m at Jazz at Pearl's, 256 Columbus; $10-$15. more ›

Hey, wanna see . more ›

It was a deadly weekend to be famous, that’s for sure. As one commenter already pointed out today, famous people tend to die in threes: Bill Walsh, Tom Snyder, and of course, ABC 13’s Marvin Zindler from Houston, who -- while still tied-up with breathing tubes, in his hospital bed, and very pissed off at 24-Hour Fitness -- gave and gave until the very end. more ›

It has been documented, in Nature no less, that listening to Mozart makes you smarter. Only for spatial reasoning, though. Only for 15mn afterwards. And the results got disputed later. Damn. And even worst, the same effect was observed with music from, hold on one second while we regain our composure, Yanni. Yanni! more ›

-- Sweetie and Love is Chemicals (image to the left): Hear rock and melodic ditties in the Mission with these two “sugary, pop” outfits. Show starts at 10 p.m. at the Knockout, 3223 Mission; $10 more ›

It's the magic of music! The San Francisco Symphony comes back to Dolores Park for the fifth consecutive year for a free performance as part of their Summer In The City program. This year, it's kind of Spanish-themed, with Gershwin's Cuban Overture, composer Manuel de Falla's Three Cornered Hat, possibly some tangos, and Ravel's Bolero. Dum-da-da-da bump-bump, dum-da-da-da bump-bump. more ›